New Bodhum 003 AF

Overall, Episode 1 is not that long, and it explains what is currently thought to be going on in this Final Fantasy world.

New Bodhum 003 AF

Noel's meteoric arrival is enough to wake Serah from her fever dream. Once you get your bearings, exit the room to find yourself prompted by the first Live Trigger of the game. These sequences pose a question and gives you the choice of one of four responses. Your choice will sometimes reflect on specific items you find afterwards.

After making your choice, the game prompts you to to hop over the rubble in order to exit the house. The jump mechanic is a new addition of Final Fantasy XIII-2, but it's simple enough to grasp immediately. Once you exit the hut, you'll find yourself assaulted by a horde of otherworldly creatures.

Once Noel appears, your goal is to clear the beach of all enemies. With your party of two, use Auto-Battle and heal when necessary to make quick work of the threat. After your victory, Noel bestows Lightning's gift upon Serah-- Mog the Moogle. Mog is pretty much the swiss army knife of FFXIII-2, so be prepared to learn his various functions throughout the game.

Head north out of the village and engage with the various pockets of enemies. Your primary setup should consist of Serah as your Ravager and Noel as your Commando. About halfway up the path you'll find a treasure chest containing a Map of New Bodhum. Other items in the area include a Librascope, Phoenix Down, and a handful of Potions.

After encountering the various members of NORA, you'll eventually make your way to the center of the anomaly and be attacked by the hellish Gogmagog.

Use a COM/RAV setup and attack the beast, switching to a dual Sentinel setup when it reaches back in preparation for a swipe. Sentinels will be able to absorb a bit of the damage from the swipe. Continue this pattern and use Potions when necessary to defeat the beast. Your prize for victory is the Gogmagog Fragment Alpha.

Fragment - Gogmagog Fragment Alpha

After interacting with the Time Gate, you'll wake up the next morning back in the hut. Your goal here is to find an Artefact (their spelling, not mine) that can be used to open the Gate. Mog will light up when you approach a point of interest, so keep an eye out for that.

There are a few points of interest in the village. You'll find kittens on the dock at the SE corner that contain something mysterious around their necks. Chase them to the SW corner to near the vegetable path. Interact with both for a bit of back-story. There is also a group of kids near the center of the village who run off after you try to confront them.

Head to the palm tree near the northern gate to find Lightning's Knife. Next to her on the beach is Nell, a member of NORA who has lost her medical kit. Talk with her to unlock a Fragment sidequest.

Fragment - Heart Prism

Head north out of the village and follow the same route you took the previous night. Stick to the right-hand side to unveil a new route now that the tide has lowered. This uncovers a treasure chest containing an Iron Bangle. Your ultimate goal is to reach the NW corner of the map and confront the boy who ran away from you. Whichever way you navigate the dialogue choices rewards you with a pendant that Snow once gave Serah.

With pendant in hand, head back to the village to initiate a series of cinematics. Go back into the hut and examine the mirror to obtain the Giant's Artefact. With this crystal in hand, you can now activate the Time Gate at the far north end of the map. However, before you can reach the crater, Gogmagog rips through time and engages you in Round 2.

Once again, rely on RAV/COM to cause damage, while defending against his attack with SEN/SEN. You should also occasional switch to RAV/RAV to build up the Stagger bar. Once it's full, switch to COM/COM to cause major damage to Gogmagog. This strategy should be immediately familiar to anyone who played Final Fantasy XIII.

Fragment - Gogmagog Fragment Beta

Your reward this time around is an Iron Bangle, the Gogmagog Fragment Beta, and 1000 Crystarium Points. After the battle you'll discover a group of Chocobo at the crash site that can be ridden so long as you have a Gysahl Green to feed it. The birds provide incredibly fast transportation and allow you to avoid any random encounters. Hop on the series staple and ride back south towards the village. Stick to the west side of the path to find a cube containing the Medical Kit. Return it to Nell on the beach to obtain the Heart Prism Fragment.

Aside from grinding a bit, you've seen all there is to see in New Bodhum at this time. When you're ready, head to the Time Gate and continue on your adventure.